


Demigods Don't Get A Break

by PrezKoko



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fighting, Friendship, Lots of Stuff, M/M, Slow Build, sap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-02-21 04:58:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2455625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrezKoko/pseuds/PrezKoko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico was looking forward to settling down for a life of peace at Camp Half-Blood after the war. It's a pity that peace and demigods rarely co-exist.</p><p>He should have known that demigods don't get to have breaks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Posted on tumblr, posting here too because it's easier to keep track of chapters on here. Hope you enjoy!

Will Solace was possibly the worse swordsman Nico had ever met. 

Even Piper McLean, who had minimal sword training, was better with a sword when she first started practicing with Hazel.

Nico watched him, as Jason tried to correct his posture. The son of Apollo left fatal openings in every direction. It was kind of amazing how the guy had survived until now.

"Good," Jason was saying. "Keep this arm up higher."

Will brought his sword arm up higher, but then lowered it when he noticed Nico. "Hey Death Boy! Coming to join us?" he asked.

Nico scowled at him. "I told you. Do _not_ call me that. _Ever_."

"Right, right." Will relented with an easy smile.

As he got closer, Jason gave him a warm, welcoming smile. Nico couldn't help but smile back. It was becoming reflex, smiling at Jason. Two months ago, this would have worried him.

"Jason offered to help brush up my sword skills," Will said, turning Nico's attention back on him.

"You need it," Nico agreed.

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm not that bad."

"Your footwork is sloppy," Nico said. Casually, he kicked at Will's foot, sweeping his leg from under him with barely any effort.

Will fell over quicker than a legless _empousai_.

Standing beside him, Jason tried to stifle his chuckle, even as he offered Will a hand up.

"As I said, you need it. But that's not why I'm here. Jason, Chiron wants a word with you. Messages from Rome."

Jason gave a slight grimace, as if he knew what the discussion would be about. He sheathed his sword. "I guess that's my cue. See you guys later. Remember to keep your arm up," he added to Will.

They watched him leave the arena, then Will picked up his sword.

"Since you've chased away my sparring partner, want to take his place?"

Nico gave Will a once over, then said, "You should work on your footwork first."

Will huffed. It was an amused huff. "Is that so? Well then, I challenge you to a duel, di Angelo."

"I can beat you _without_ my sword, Solace."

"Care to put that to the test?" Will challenged. "Without cheating this time." 

Nico snorted, "I didn't cheat. You let your guard down."

Will raised his sword, and stepped a couple of paces away.

"Alright," Nico sighed, "don't say I didn't warn you." He unbuckled his black sword and laid it on the ground.

They both circled each other warily for a couple of beats. Then Will grinned, and charged.

It was over very quickly. Since Nico was unarmed, Will seemed hesitant to even use the flat part of his sword. He tried to attack with the pommel instead.

In a single move, Nico had dodged to the side, grabbed the other's wrist, hooked a foot behind Will's knee and threw his entire body weight against the son of Apollo.

"Oof," Will grunted as he was slammed into the ground.

Nico grinned down at him, holding Will's sword against his throat. "I rest my case."

Will looked up, the sunlight catching in his eyes and hair. He laughed. "You win. I surrender."

For a moment, Nico's breath hitched. Then he noticed how close the two of them were. He was practically lying on top of Will.

He quickly scrambled away.

"Not going to help your friend up?" Will said from the ground. He sounded a little wheezy, which was fair enough considering he just had the wind knocked out of him.

Nico held out a hand.

There was an awkward silence as Will pulled himself up and began brushing himself down. Nico could still feel the spots where they had pressed against each other. He determinedly pushed that out of his mind.

It was probably a good thing that Butch Walker chose that moment to burst into the Arena.

"Will!" he yelled. "We need you, monsters on Half-Blood Hill."

There was a moment of stunned disbelief. They'd only just finished a war less than three weeks ago. Was their camp under attack again so soon?

Pressing his lips together tightly, Nico snatched his sword from the floor. The three of them raced towards Thalia's tree.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over half a year later, this gets updated! Much longer chapter than last time too. :) For those still with me, thanks for waiting and hope you enjoy~

"We're pretty sure it's a head injury. But we can't see very well through the monsters," Butch said as he, Will and Nico raced towards Thalia's tree.

All around camp, people were yelling and running about. Weapons and medical supplies were grabbed alike and as they passed the cabins, one of Will's siblings joined them.

Nico couldn't remember his name, but the guy had no problem keeping up with them.

"Kayla's already at the hill," Will's sibling said, carrying a bag with the Apollo symbol. Nico assumed medical supplies of some sort. "A few of the new kids have made it over into the border, but most of them are stuck and one of them's not moving."

Will grimaced. Nico didn't blame him. Healing someone probably took enough energy. Even without having to watch out for monsters.

By the time they reached Half-Blood Hill, another couple of kids had managed to cross the border. Nico noted their pale and scared faces and drew his sword.

As Will's sibling had mentioned, there were already a group of archers at the crest of the hill, shooting arrow after arrow down into the fray. A few Ares kids had left the safety of the camp border and were drawing the attention of the main bulk of monsters.

Beyond them, satyrs were nudging the new demigods towards camp. Protecting each one from the mass of bloodthirsty monsters.

And boy were there a lot of monsters.

If they hadn't just fought against Gaia's army on this very hill, Nico might have been a little overwhelmed by the amount of monsters that was swarming it right now. No demigod had died yet. That was the main thing.

But there was one very close to death. Lying several yards away from the main group of new demigod kids. Nico saw Coach Hedge near her, swinging a baseball bat around to clear away any monsters that came close.

"We need to get down there," Will yelled over the noise of monsters and fighting. "Her life force's really weak."

"I'll wrap you in the Mist," Lou Ellen said, making strange motions with her hand. "If you sneak around the other side," she pointed away from where the Ares and Athena kids were fighting, "you should be able to get to her undetected."

Will nodded and he and his brother were about run around the side when one of the monsters, an especially vicious looking chimera, roared and wacked Coach Hedge with its tail.

The other Satyrs desperately threw tin cans and wooden cubs at the chimera with little effect, and it prowled towards them with malice.

"Kayla!" Will's brother yelled, pulling back several arrows at once and then letting them loose.

It was followed by another bunch of arrows, fired from Kayla's group.

They arched beautifully into the air, but the chimera snapped at the projectiles, protecting itself with its snake tail.

A couple of the arrows got deflected towards the unconscious kid, embedding straight into demigod flesh. Blood began to ooze from the new wounds and Nico felt her get nearer to death.

Will must have felt something too, because he paled significantly. "We've got to hurry, Austin," he said to his brother, then promptly ran outside of the camp's protected border.

"Wait, the Mist won't work if you just charge straight at them!" Lou Ellen's protests were swallowed up by Austin's curses, as he tried to follow, firing arrow after arrow around him.  

Nico felt like cursing too. What kind of idiot just run straight into the fray without even unsheathing his sword?

"Will, move to the right! There are too many if we go straight down!" Austin was yelling, edging to the right of the hill.

Will didn't appear to be listening, completely focused on the unconscious girl that was only 5 yards away now. Kayla's team was still distracting the chimera, but a hellhound was bounding right towards the Head of the Apollo Cabin.

Will skidded to a stop, freezing as razor sharp teeth propelled toward him.

And was met with Nico's sword. It dissolved into shadows and was absorbed.

"Draw your sword, you idiot," Nico found himself yelling as he darted forward. Two more hellhounds (neither of them Mrs O'Leary) jumped at them and Nico slashed their bodies open.

Will gave him a grin. Nico thought he should be concentrating on staying alive instead of grinning at people. "I'll trust you to watch my back," Will said as he followed Nico towards the chimera.

It only took a single slice to take the chimera's head, and Nico sword absorbed its essence as Will and Austin knelt down next to the unconscious demigod.

"We need to get back to the border," Nico said, making a semi-defensive ring with the satyrs. Austin was frantically pulling things out of the bag he had been carrying, as Will grimaced at the head wound and began chanting.

"She'll die if we move her right now," Austin said, when he finally located whatever supplies he had needed and got them ready.

"We're sitting ducks here," Nico snapped. These monsters were hardly werewolves, but there were still too many of them. They weren't going to hold out for long, even if Nico summoned up his skeletons.

"We’re hurrying as best as we can," Austin replied, surprisingly calmly. It sounded like he's had these kind of conversations before.

Will was still chanting as his hand hovered over the girl's head. The wound did look serious. Nico grimaced.

The monsters were relentless, having little regards for their own lives as they attacked in swarms.

 _We're getting surrounded_ , Nico thought to himself as he stabbed his sword this way and that.

Just as it was looking hopeless, lightning rained down around him.

"Hey," Jason said as he landed by them. "Looks pretty full on." Then he went straight back to fighting monsters next to Nico.

This was good. It was a lot easier with the two of them.

Eventually, the rest of the monsters were driven away. It was difficult with only all-rounder campers around but Nico thought it was a pretty good turn out.

No demigod deaths too. A miracle.

"Alright, let's get her onto a stretcher," Will sat back on his haunches. He looked a little worn out but happy. Nico noted that the new demigod's life was also no longer near death.

Austin and another Apollo kid managed get that organised and Nico watched as they and the rest of the new demigods headed towards the camp. He started to follow.

"It's strange," Jason said, walking alongside Nico. "Monsters of different species don't usually fight together like this. Not even for a bunch of untrained demigods. Not unless there was someone else behind the scenes."

That was true. Nico frowned as he tried to think. Was the beginnings of another quest happening already? It's only been a couple of months since the war.

He was brought out of his musings by the sounds of flapping wings. Large, flapping wings.

"Gryphons!" someone shouted in alarm from behind them.

Nico spun and pulled his sword out in a single movement. But it was too late. One of the gryphons had already swooped down, dug its claws deep into Will, and flew off again. It ignored the wooden cub thrown by Coach Hedge, and dodged the arrows that shot towards it.

Wind howled as Jason took to the air, but the other gryphons were ready, and they swarmed around him in a strategised movement as the others sped away.

Within the gryphon's tight grip, Will Solace struggled desperately. To no avail.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Will gets kidnapped.
> 
> It was necessary. Considering that the plot of every single book in the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series is basically a big rescue mission (with the final books being an exception 'cos that's always a big battle), I thought having Will get kidnapped would be extremely appropriate.
> 
> That and I just wanted Nico to go rescue him. :P


	3. Chapter 3

The entire Apollo cabin had swarmed the Big House, begging Chiron give them a quest so they could look for Will Solace.

"We've already lost 2 Heads of the cabin," one pleaded.

"Will might still be alive!" another said.

"Please let us look for him."

Chiron wasn't having any of it though. "That is just what the monsters are after. We're not issuing quests unless Rachel provides us with a prophercy."

The entire crowd of Apollo kids protested. Demigods from other cabins were also starting to gather around.

"That is my final decision," Chiron said, although regret shone in his eyes. "We have lost enough lives this summer. We are not heading out without any direction."

More protests.

"We saw which way they went!"

"We can use the flying chariot."

Nico ignored them all and pushed through the crowd. He stood in front of Chiron defiantly, noting a strange hush falling over the group of demigods behind him.

"There might be a prophecy," Nico said. "Rachel said loads of them last summer. I request that we contact her and see if there is a matching one in the Sibylline Books."

Chiron studied him. Nico had never been particularly close to the centaur, but he knew the camp's Activities Director would want to save every single camper if he could. He also knew that Chiron could not actually say no to a prophecy-led quest.

A sanctioned quest was going to be the best way for them all to find Will.

After a moment, Chiron sighed and gave permission for them to contact Rachel.

\---

Butch from the Iris cabin made the biggest rainbow Nico had ever seen up close. The reception was fantastic, and even Rachel looked pretty impressed at the clarity with which she was seeing every all-year camper.

Thankfully, she didn't dwell too much on that and pulled out her notebook not long after Chiron explained the situation.

"The only Apollo-related one would be this," Rachel said, and read out the prophecy.

_The Son of Dawn in an endless fight_

_All fall down at the Ghost King's might_

Everyone stared. Waited a beat.

And then.

"That's it?" Nico said. That could not be the whole prophecy.

Rachel flipped through her notes, just in case she missed something. "That's it. I said this precisely 2 weeks after I became the Oracle."

She looked at something outside of the Iris Message window. "Ella says that wasn't in any books she's read. So it's likely that it wasn't important enough to make it into the Sibylline Books."

Nico scowled. Figured that the first prophecy involving him would be so insignificant it didn't even get written down by the Romans.

Beside him, Jason nudged his shoulder slightly. "Look on the bright side. It pretty much guarantees you'll win."

"Prophecies are never straight-forward," Nico said. Though he couldn't help but start looking at the bright side. 'All fall down' surely implied his enemies would fall down. Unless Nico somehow manage to level an entire city and kill millions of mortals.

He pushed that thought aside. The main worry now is whether he would be able to rescue Will in time. The prophecy didn't say anything about whether the 'the Ghost King's might' would save Will Solace's life. Perhaps it'd be an act of revenge.

His thought flashed back to Bryce Lawrence. To the cold fury he had felt. To Reyna and Coach Hedge trying desperately to revive him.

He shivered. He didn't want to lose himself like that ever again.

Chiron was looking at him.

"You are the only one with power over ghosts at the camp," Chiron said. "Choose your 2 companions and then you may leave whenever you're ready."

30 pairs of eyes immediately swivelled in his direction. Nico was careful not to make eye-contact with any of them as he headed towards the armoury.

He wasn't really friends with any of the campers aside from Will and Jason. It was going to be tough choosing amongst the Apollo kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before people start telling me that Nico was involved in other prophecies, I am writing with the assumption that he never actually heard any of the ones that involved him. So to him, this is the first prophecy he had ever been involved in.


End file.
